A Hospital-based Intervention for Youth Injured Through Violence

A Hospital-based Intervention for Youth Injured Through Violence

The firearm violence epidemic is a major public health problem, especially for youth. Every day in the US, approximately 100 people fall casualty to firearms through forms of violence, such as homicide, suicide, and unintentional or accidental injuries. Among youth, firearm violence remains the leading cause of death, and each year the rate of firearm-related mortality is increasing. Beyond the significant and devastating cost of human life, firearm violence is an enormous economic burden to the US, which totals an estimated $229 billion annually. In urban communities with high rates of firearm-related violence, firearm-related emergency department visits are extremely draining on the hospital system. At the national level, firearm-related injuries account for $2.8 billion annually in emergency department care each.

In the state of Virginia, the rates of firearm-related fatalities are over seven times higher than the national rates, and the pandemic has made this worse, as we have seen a 52% increase in firearm-related hospitalizations. With the surge in firearm violence seen nationwide, there is a dire need for new, innovative, and effective interventions for preventing firearm-related violence, injury, and mortality among youth. Hospital-based brief violence interventions can result in long-term improvement. There is a plethora of research supporting that brief violence interventions can result in long-term improvements, including interventions for violence. Less is known about the extent to which they are effective for reducing firearm-related violence. Hospital-based brief violence interventions save lives and money. Most of the people who are violently injured are indigent and without health insurance. Inpatient costs for injury at VCU Trauma Center ranging from $33,000 to $300,000 per youth, and a national cost of violence estimated at $21 billion annually. The goal of this project is to evaluate Elevate VR an effective and innovative virtual reality (VR) brief violence intervention to prevent firearm-related violence, injury, and mortality among youth.

Youth participant inclusion criteria:

• Aged 13-17 years old
• English speaking

Youth participant exclusion criteria:

• Youth aged <13 years and >17 years old
• Non-English speaking
• Youth of caregivers younger than 18 years old

Adult/caregiver participant inclusion criteria:

- Aged 18 years or older

Adult/caregiver participant exclusion criteria:

- Aged younger than 18 years